Poison
by C-Chan10
Summary: Frodo accidently feeds Pippin some poisonous mushrooms, and now the race is on to save him - will he survive? please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own LotR, or any Characters to do with it.unfortunately.  
  
Hello folks! I'm back again! I've gotten over my bout of turning ppl into 6 year olds. *Stares Sadly At Her Number Lock Photograph Book* Those were the days...Anyway! I hope you like this story! Please review! Oh yeah...I'm really stupid...So if a mushroom isn't a vegetable, don't flame me!  
  
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A fire flickered merrily in the deep cave the fellowship had found on Caradhas. Actually it was more of a deep chasm, a crack in the rock, but it was a lot better then freezing to death out in the snow.  
  
It was quite surprising that they had managed to get a fire going on the snowy mountain - but it was mostly due to the fact that Gandalf was seriously fed up of being cold.  
  
Frodo sat just outside the cave writing in his small book. It was sort of a diary. Usually Frodo never kept a diary, but he had promised Bilbo that he would make accounts of their adventures.  
  
Sam and Merry sat just inside the entrance of the small chasm, talking in low voices about how this part of their journey sucked. They were both miserable and hungry.  
  
Gimli was also miserable, he sat at the back of the cave near the fire trying to melt the icicles that had attached themselves to his beard. It was quite a comical site and Boromir had to bite his lip to stop himself laughing whenever Gimli began tugging and swearing at his beard.  
  
Aragorn, Legolas and Gandalf sat a little way off from Gimli discussing their next move. Aragorn thought that if they went any further they would all freeze to death, but Gandalf and Legolas thought they should continue - as they had already come this far.  
  
Frodo shifted the diary on his knee, until it was easy to write on, then he began jotting down the tale that Gandalf had told them just before they began climbing Caradhas. Presently he became aware of being watched.  
  
Pippin sat staring up at Frodo looking weary. He had been sitting there for at least 5 minutes without saying anything, and usually when Pippin was quiet it meant...  
  
"I'm hungry!" He complained, standing up and brushing the snow off of himself. Frodo merely glanced at him then went back to writing.  
  
"Hello? Earth to Frodo? I'm hungry!" Whined Pippin.  
  
"See if Merry has some food." Replied Frodo, without glancing up.  
  
Pippin frowned and stayed where he was. "But I'm asking you Frodo!"  
  
Frodo sighed and put his book down on his pack. "Fine, let's go find something."  
  
They walked for about 20 minutes along a snow-ridden path. Frodo did feel sorry for Pippin, he could hear his stomach rumbling. They walked on until Pippin suddenly slid over.  
  
He fell down a small slope and landed in a pile of snow at the bottom. Frodo yelled and began sliding down the slope after him. He had only got halfway down when Pippin's head appeared from the pile of snow. He was laughing, thank goodness!  
  
It was then that Frodo noticed the pile of mushrooms growing a little way off.  
  
"Look! Mushrooms!" He yelled, pointing towards the small patch. Pippin cheered and ran towards the large vegetables.  
  
Frodo watched, smiling slightly as Pippin dug in to the small feast. Pippin chewed one for a while then looked up at him.  
  
"Thish Tashtes diff'rent choo the muhshooms in the shiyre!" He mumbled with his mouth full. He swallowed the mushroom and tried again. "This tastes different to the mushrooms in the shire!"  
  
"Let me try one..." Began Frodo, making his way over to Pippin. But a shout stopped him.  
  
"Mr. Frodo!" Called Sam. Frodo looked up to see Sam and Merry peering over the side of the slope looking worried.  
  
"What?" Asked Frodo, glancing at Pippin who had just came and stood next to him.  
  
"Where have you been?" Asked Merry, sliding down the slope towards them. "Everyone's been worried!"  
  
Pippin threw a well-aimed snow ball and it hit Merry on the nose. So Merry scooped up a huge pile of snow and began chasing Pippin with it. Frodo laughed as he watched his younger cousins shriek with laughter.  
  
"Watch out for those mushrooms!" Exclaimed Sam suddenly to Frodo, as he noticed the small patch of mushrooms, which Pippin had obviously left.  
  
Frodo glanced at the mushrooms then looked at Sam with worry written all across his face. "Why?" He asked.  
  
"Don't eat them!" Instructed Sam, "Mr. Aragorn said not to eat anything on this mountain - Cause it'd most likely be poisonous!"  
  
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That's the end of Chapter 1! Please Review! 


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to the THREE people that reviewed.THREE!! Come on guys!!! I thought you'd like this story!! So where are the reviews?! *Hands out Pippin, Legolas and Frodo plushies to all that reviewed* See how nice I am? I'm even going back to my method of uploading every day! Come on!! Review!! You know you want to!!...  
  
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Frodo watched Pippin throw snowballs at Merry in silence. He couldn't possibly have poisoned his younger cousin, could he? Frodo frowned...Technically he might not have. Sam had said that it was 'most likely' that the mushrooms would be poisonous, which didn't make it certain.  
  
On the other hand, if he had poisoned Pippin, he should tell someone about it now, before it got out of hand, but who was he going to tell? And what was he going to say?  
  
It's not like he could just walk up to Merry and say: Hi Merry! Lovely weather! Oh, by the way, I think I've poisoned Pippin!  
  
"We should be getting back!" Exclaimed Merry suddenly, standing up and brushing the snow off his jacket.  
  
"Yeah! Gandalf was pretty worried about you guys! No need for him to send Legolas or Aragorn out to look for us!" Added Sam. As they began to trudge along the path, back towards the cave.  
  
"It doesn't really matter if he sends Legolas, he could probably walk over this mountain in less than an hour!" Exclaimed Merry, producing giggles from Sam and Frodo.  
  
"I don't think he's THAT good!" Laughed Frodo.  
  
"Yeah...But you know what I mean!"  
  
Sam and Frodo laughed. Then Merry noticed Pippin lagging behind them.  
  
"You okay Pippin?" He asked, noting that his cousins breathing seemed a little louder than usual, but maybe that was echoes?  
  
"Yeah.How much further is it to that cave?" Pippin asked, his voicing sounding quieter then usual.  
  
"Not much further.Then we can have some of that broth that Aragorns been making!" Merry's stomach rumbled as he thought of the lovely thickness of the broth, it smelt delicious too!  
  
"I'm not hungry, I think I'm just gonna go sleep." Mumbled Pippin. Merry frowned and looked down at his younger cousin.  
  
"Pip' are you feeling okay?" He asked, wondering why he hadn't noticed the heat radiating off his cousin like a furnace.  
  
"No not..." Pippin stopped and closed his eyes suddenly. "Going t' be sick!" He gasped, and convulsed hard. Merry caught him before he sank to his knees and convulsed again. Then he was sick, all over the floor.  
  
"Sam! Frodo!" Called Merry into the distance, where he could see Frodo and Sam still making jokes. "Come quick you guys! Pippin's sick!"  
  
That did it. Both hobbits came tearing over, just in time to see Pippin convulse and vomit again. Sam grimaced and Frodo's eyes widened, but Merry was trying not to panic.  
  
"Some one has to go tell Aragorn!" Cried Merry, helping Pippin up onto his feet.  
  
"I will!" Sam sprinted off into the distance, running as fast as his little hobbit legs would take him. Frodo and Merry each took Pippin by the arm and helped him along, stopping everyone once and a while for him to throw up.  
  
By the time Merry and Frodo got Pippin back to the cave, he was almost in tears. They had lost count of how many times he had been sick.  
  
He vomited once more as Aragorn rushed out - followed by Legolas and Gandalf. Pippin caught the grave look on Aragorns face before he pitched forwards and collapsed into Merry's arms. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own LotR!  
  
Bit of a short chappie! (Don't blame me blame my french teach for giving me so much hw!) Thank you to everyone that has reviewed! And remember: this isn't fully true, so if they were having fun on Caradhas in my story it didn't mean it was all fun an games in the books! OkieZ...Keep your reviews coming in!  
  
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Merry sat pale-faced next to the limp form of his cousin. Frodo sat next to him and looked, if it was possible, even worse! Legolas, Aragorn and Gandalf sat arguing in the corner. Whilst Boromir and Gimli sat watch outside.  
  
Night had fallen since Pippin's misfortune, and his condition had deteriorated. His breathing had got shallower, and whenever there was a pause in the argument raging between the Elf, wizard and man, it could be heard loudly in the stillness of the air.  
  
"What's wrong with Pippin?" Asked Merry, interrupting the quarrel.  
  
"We think we know..." Started Aragorn, he glanced at Legolas and Gandalf then carried on. "Pippin has all the signs of being poisoned...but I don't know how it could've happened?"  
  
"Poisoned?" Gasped Merry, at the same time as Frodo who hissed;  
  
"No! The mushrooms!"  
  
He noticed everyone looking at him confused. Then Merry rounded in on him. "What mushrooms?!" He demanded. Looking sternly at Frodo.  
  
"Those mushrooms on the mountain?" Asked Sam, picturing the scene him and Merry had come across.  
  
"Yeah...I found them an...Pippin kind of ate some..." Frodo whispered, staring down at the floor looking ashamed.  
  
"And you knew?!" Exploded Merry suddenly. "You knew and you didn't tell anyone?"  
  
"Merry..." Started Aragorn.  
  
"How could you!" Cried Merry, tears starting to spill down his cheeks. He stormed outside and sat on the edge of Caradhas, much to Boromir and Gimli's surprise.  
  
Legolas followed him quietly. "Merry, Frodo meant the best!" He whispered as he sat next to the sobbing hobbit.  
  
"Go away Legolas! Pippin is going to die and it's all Frodo's fault!" hissed Merry. Staring down into the dark abyss below him.  
  
"He didn't know they were poisonous...At least come back into the cave and get some sleep...It's doing no good freezing to death out here!" Legolas tried to reason with Merry, after all, they already had a poisoned hobbit. It'd be even worse with a hobbit with pneumonia. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Guess.  
  
I'm so sorry guys! I've been stuck in a slump! Plus being ill and weighed down with homework! Blurgh, this is really short, I'll try and get back on track tomorrow!  
  
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When morning came, Aragorn had begun bathing Pippin's forehead with some water and herbs, which were left over from travelling in Rivendell.  
  
Frodo apologised constantly to Merry, but Merry wasn't having any of it, he ignored Frodo until finally...  
  
"Frodo! Go away! Can't you see I don't want to talk to you? Just leave me alone!" Merry cried, turning his back on Frodo and sitting facing his cousin, who was being looked after by Legolas.  
  
Legolas shot Frodo a sympathetic look, then carried on swabbing Pippin's forehead with the damp cloth. It was almost the end of Gimli's turn - but Legolas didn't fully trust Gimli so he had taken Gimli's turn for him.  
  
"Can't you stop arguing with Frodo?" Asked Legolas gently, not wanting for Merry to get mad at him too.  
  
"It's his fault Pippin's like this, what am I going to do if Pippin dies?" Asked Merry, feeling his eyes water up. He waited for some words of reassurance from the Elf-prince, but none came. Legolas wasn't entirely sure if Pippin was going to survive, he was trying to convince himself to look optimistic, but Legolas could sense something more strong and powerful inside Pippin that any poison could be.  
  
Legolas left Pippin to Boromir's care, and walked over to where Gandalf was seated.  
  
"Gandalf - there must be someway to help Master Pippin!" He cried. "Every poison has an antidote! So where can we find the antidote for this one?" Legolas asked.  
  
"Deep, in the cave of Alaresh, in the south of Caradhas!" Replied Gandalf. Looking up at the elf prince. "Some one has to go and fetch it!" 


	5. Chapter 5

I have returned from the evil valley of writer's block! Took up my pen...er...Keyboard, and wrote you another chapter! I'm proud of myself, I managed to write a new chapter for this, and a new chapter for my other story! Go me! Don't forget to review! Enjoy!  
  
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The company sat, deciding on people to go fetch the antidote from the dangerous cave of Alaresh.  
  
"We need someone to be able to defend or fight if they had too!" Said Aragorn, everyone looked at Legolas and him. "I should stay and look after Pippin - so I say Legolas!"  
  
Legolas nodded, and thought for a minute. "We need someone who knows what Pippin is allergic too, and what he can or can't have!" He said, knowing what he would feel like if they got the antidote then found out that Pippin couldn't have it.  
  
"I'll go!" Supplied Merry. "I've known Pippin nearly all my life, I know what he can and can't have!" Everyone nodded. Then Frodo spoke up.  
  
"I want to come too, it's my fault that Pippin has been poisoned, I want to help heal him." He said quietly, the guilt gnawing at him from the inside.  
  
"It'll be your fault if he dies too!" Hissed Merry, giving Frodo an evil look. Frodo frowned and went to sit at the back of the cave.  
  
"Merry!" Legolas frowned at Merry and shook his head. "Can't you two call a truce? At least whilst we get the antidote!" He asked. Merry folded his arms and turned away from Legolas and Frodo.  
  
Legolas sighed, and looked at Aragorn who merely shrugged at him.  
  
"You should set off at first light, so I suggest you rest and feed well today!" Instructed Gandalf, placing some packs of Lembas bread on the floor near the three.  
  
"Why can't we set off right now?" Asked Merry, ignoring the food because he was too busy wondering why Gandalf wanted to wait, when Pippin could be dying.  
  
"The cave of Alaresh can be particularly dangerous in the day, and it's deadly at night, if you set off early next morning, you might make it back before the shadows awaken!" Explained Gandalf.  
  
Merry shuddered and sat pondering the strange phrase. 'You might back it back before the shadows awaken'. What did Gandalf mean by that? Just how dangerous was this cave? Merry wasn't sure he wanted to find out.  
  
He had to go though, for Pippin. Besides, if he didn't, it'd just be Frodo and Legolas, and Frodo would probably try to poison Legolas too. Even though Merry wasn't sure you could actually poison elves.  
  
A little voice in the back of his mind stirred. 'It's not Frodo's fault - he didn't know that the mushrooms were poisonous!' it said, rather indignantly. Merry frowned and ignored the small voice, most probably his conscience. 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Don't own LotR!  
  
Oh my gosh! I'm sooooooooooo sorry!! *Apologises like hell* I have 3 stories up and running and I kind of got caught up in my Morph one...ehehehe...AnywayZ I hope you like this chapter, I sure enjoyed writing it for you! Please review!  
  
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"Come on! Let's go!"  
  
Frodo rolled over and tried to go back to sleep, not realising that Legolas and Merry were trying to wake him up so that they could set off.  
  
It was very, very early in the morning, the sun had only just begun to rise and it cast a deep orange glow around the mountainside as it peeped over the horizon.  
  
Legolas tried again. "Frodo! Wake up!" He said softly, shaking Frodo. Frodo simply rolled over and ignored the elf.  
  
Merry scowled and kicked Frodo in the ribs. "Get up you great lump!"  
  
That did it. Frodo sprang up rubbing sleep from his eyes. "I'm awake! I'm awake!" He glanced around, everyone except for Merry, Legolas, Gandalf and himself were asleep. Gandalf passed a pack to each of them and bid them farewell. Then with one last fond look at Pippin they were off, down to the cave of Alaresh.  
  
"You might have woken me up Mr. Gandalf!" Cried Sam indignantly. "I wanted to say goodbye to Mr. Frodo!"  
  
Gandalf looked wearily at Sam. "You should've stayed awake then!" He turned his attention back to Pippin. The little hobbit began to moan softly, then much to everyone's surprise opened his eyes and blinked.  
  
"Master Pippin!" Cried Aragorn, springing to his side and placing a hand on Pippin's burning, pale forehead. Pippin blinked again and stared up at Aragorn. For one horrific moment everyone thought that he didn't recognise the ranger, then Pippin seemed to come to his senses.  
  
"Merry!" He gasped, looking round slowly for his cousin. When he couldn't see him, he cried out in despair. "Merry!" He whispered again.  
  
"Merry's not here..." Said Aragorn slowly, bathing Pippin's forehead his a damp cloth. "He's gone with Legolas and Frodo to find an antidote that will cure the poison!"  
  
Pippin's eyes widened. "Poison?!" He gasped, wincing as a white-hot pain shot through his head. He looked around desperately wanting someone to put him at ease and tell him he was going to be fine. But the three people he could count on for doing that weren't there!  
  
"Yes Pippin! Those mushrooms you ate! They were poisonous!" Sam explained, munching on a piece of Lembas.  
  
Pippin felt himself slowly sinking into another deep sleep. "But Frodo gave me the mushrooms..." He protested quietly. "Frodo...Wouldn't...Poison me!" He fell sound asleep, leaving the rest of the occupants in the cave looking at each other sadly, they hoped that Merry, Legolas and Frodo would get the antidote soon, otherwise it might be to late for the little hobbit. 


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing! Boo hoo!  
  
Oops! Sorry for not updating this for so long! I've been going mad and working on my website, plus doing home work =( oh well.I hope you like this chapter! Please review!  
  
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Frodo, Merry and Legolas walked along in silence. The only sound that made it to their ears was the crunching of the snow underfoot. Legolas walked ahead, following the trail that Gandalf had told them to, but also looking for easier paths they could take.  
  
Frodo walked along, his head bowed, staring at the snow. Lost in his own thoughts. He didn't like being resented by Merry, and he had to do SOMETHING about it - but the question is; what?  
  
Merry followed Legolas and Frodo, half watching the path and half staring at the beautiful scenery stretched out in front of him. The snow sparkled in the sunlight and was quite solid underfoot.  
  
Luckily Gandalf had had the sense to place a spell on the snow, making it solid enough so that Frodo and Merry didn't sink straight into it like they normally would have.  
  
A loud yell made Legolas and Merry spin round, and they were just in time to see Frodo slip and fall head first off the side of Caradhas. Legolas immediately ran to the side of the mountain, staring down into the black chasm with horror. Merry hesitated, then followed Legolas and peered over the side.  
  
"FRODO!" Shouted the elf prince, he listened impatiently, then tried again. "FRODO CAN YOU HEAR ME?!"  
  
"Yeah! I can hear you!" Came the very faint reply. "I'm not hurt! I landed in a pile of snow! Can you come down?"  
  
Legolas glanced at Merry then looked down, there was a small slope, a few metres away from them, Legolas thought if he was very careful they would be able to make it down to Frodo.  
  
He took hold of Merry's arm and began to walk, very carefully, down the slope, pausing and helping Merry to get his balance everytime Merry slipped.  
  
Finally, after 20 minutes of danger, Merry and Legolas managed to reach the ledge which Frodo had fallen on.  
  
Legolas looked around and gasped. "I don't believe it!"  
  
Merry looked confused and glanced at the Elf-prince. "Believe what?"  
  
"We've found it!" Answered Legolas.  
  
"Found what?" Asked Frodo, looking around bewildered, all he could see was snow, sky and rock.  
  
"The cave of Alaresh! It's right there!" Legolas pointed and the hobbits looked round. Sure enough, the large mouth of a cave was hewn into the rock, but why hadn't they noticed it before?  
  
"The cave of Alaresh only shows itself to people who need to go into it for good, although, some evil things manage to get into it - that's why we need to be careful!" Said Legolas, as if reading the hobbits mind.  
  
Glancing around nervously, the three companions entered the cave, unsure of what dangers and perils they would come across. 


	8. Chapter 8

*Holds head* damn headache! And I've got school tomorrow! (BOO!) My mom was bugging me to do my homework, so I said I'd do it after I finished this chapter...that's why this chapter is extra long, lol. Please review!  
  
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Merry was disappointed when they got into the cave. Everyone had been going on and on about its dangers and the evilness inside it, but to him it just looked like any normal cave.  
  
"What's so good about this place?" He asked, not managing to keep the disappointment out of his voice.  
  
"You sound like you wanted something to happen!" Replied Frodo, glancing sideways at Merry. Merry didn't reply to this, he wasn't sure if he did want something to happen, but after the way Gandalf was kicking up a fuss about it, something should!  
  
"Quiet now," Ordered Legolas. Slowly they walked along in silence, occasionally walking past side passages or big bolted doors. Never did they stray off the main path.  
  
"How do you know which way to go?" Asked Frodo in a whisper, as they stopped to rest for a few moments.  
  
Legolas looked a bit bewildered, as if he didn't know himself. Then he smiled reassuringly. "Instinct!"  
  
It got quite boring walking along the main passage, Merry was glad when they reached a three way fork in the path, straight in front of them. "Which way do we go?" He asked, glancing down each path in turn then looking up at Legolas.  
  
"I...Don't know!" The Elf-prince admitted. "I don't think we should split up, I think we should go down each path and see where they lead too!"  
  
Merry frowned at this idea. "But that will take ages! We don't have ages! You don't even know how long these paths are! We could still be going down the first one and Pippin could...well..." He trailed off into silence and sat down on the floor looking miserable.  
  
"I agree with Merry...We should split up - if anything does happen we can shout and someone would hear!" Frodo offered helpfully. Merry glanced up at Frodo but stayed silent. The only sound they heard was Legolas sighing.  
  
"So be it...But you have to be careful and any sign of danger you came straight back here and go down the middle path, that's the path I'm going to take - and don't wander off into any side passages!" He ordered, setting rules left right and centre.  
  
Merry and Frodo nodded, then they set off, each down a different path.  
  
The path Frodo took surprised him, he expected it to be dark and gloomy, but it was bright, as if there were hidden windows in the cave walls. The floor felt smooth underfoot, and Frodo felt his mood gradually begin to rise.  
  
However, this feeling did not last long.  
  
The further he walked down the path, the darker it got. Shadows seemed to move around independently, yet whenever he turned to get a better view of them, they were always still and lifeless.  
  
Eventually he began to hear a voice. He couldn't make out any proper words, as if the speaker was just mumbling incoherently to himself. But what speaker? Frodo couldn't see anyone ahead of him, or behind. Not that he could see far anyway. He couldn't sense anyone, he couldn't hear anyone's footsteps. There was no one!  
  
"Heh...Disembodied voices Frodo...You're going crazy!" He mumbled jokingly to himself. It made him feel better for only a short period of time.  
  
Legolas wasn't having any trouble at all. No disembodied voices, no noises, no strange bangings. All the shadows were behaving like normal, it was as if all the evil things in that passage, had taken a day off...or moved into a different tunnel.  
  
Merry tried not to think of the darkness as he stumbled and tripped his way along the small tunnel he had chosen, which was getting narrower by the second.  
  
"If this goes on," He thought, "I'm going to have to turn back!"  
  
A small noise behind him made him freeze. It was ever so soft, as if some one was tip toeing behind him. He spun round, expecting to come face to face with some horrible beast, and found nothing, he was alone in the passage.  
  
He walked on nervously, trying to stay calm by telling himself that it was just his imagination playing tricks on him.  
  
He saw something, or rather felt it brush past him. He gulped and carried on walking, trying to tell himself that he was doing this for Pippin and his imagination was just being stupid.  
  
Something touched his shoulder, and breathed in his ear. That was way to much for Merry, he gave a terrific yell and hared up the passage, not daring to turn around and go back the way he came in case there was someone and It wasn't just his imagination.  
  
He ran and ran until he couldn't run anymore, then he slowed and found himself in a room. He gasped as he saw the contents. 


	9. Chapter 9

Well. Well. Well. Just look what I've updated! I'm really sorry I didn't get to update sooner - I put this on a disk whilst my computor hard drive was sorted and then my dad lost the disk and it turned out he put it with the old omega disks and they got put in the attic. . . But we got the crimbo tree down today so I nabbed the disks at the same time =). Well - I hope all you guys are still up for reviewing. =)  
  
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The room was sparkly and shiny, like it was made out of crystal, all except a large table in the middle, which was a deep crimson, and made out of what looked like some sort of marble.  
  
On top of it sat a small phial.  
  
Merry didn't notice this right away, because he was staring at the walls. To any normal glance, they were beautiful. But if you looked closer, you could see faces squashed up against them.  
  
He backed away from them and walked into the table, accidently knocking the phial. It skidded away from him and wobbled dangerously on the edge, then it fell and smashed on the floor.  
  
A loud, high-pitched scream echoed around the chamber he was in, it travelled down corridors, swirling round corners until it reached Frodo and Legolas. They both jumped round and ran for the main passage.  
  
Merry, however, stayed where he was. Watching in horror as a black smog began to appear in front of his eyes. Different faces would appear on the surface every few seconds, and it rose and grew until it was bigger than Merry.  
  
In the very heart of the smog, a figure began to emerge. A beautiful woman, with an air of sadness around her. Merry didn't know what to say.  
  
He stood awkwardly, watching this woman who stood staring back. "Um. . .H - Hello?" He stuttered finally. The woman blinked at him and he coughed nervously.  
  
"Uh. . . You don't happen to know where the antidote to poisonous mushrooms are?" Asked Merry, thinking it was a long shot - but he had to try it.  
  
"For Pippin?"  
  
Merry blinked, and rubbed the back of his neck. How had she known? He nodded slowly, glancing around at the walls - the faces squashed against them were watching him intently.  
  
"He doesn't need antidote."  
  
"Of course he does!" Cried Merry, forgetting his previous shyness. "He's been poisoned! He needs the antidote before he. . Well. . Before he. ."  
  
The woman shook her head, "Poisoned yes. By mushrooms, no. Powerful magic. He need to be stopped."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Saruman." The woman gave Merry a long look before disappearing into nothing. Merry stood staring at the spot where she was before turning and running back towards the main passage.  
  
"LEGOLAS!" He screamed, "FRODO!" He ran into the main passage just as Legolas and Frodo reached it.  
  
"What's wrong Merry? Are you hurt? Did something happen?" Cried Legolas. Merry shook his head and proceeded to tell the others what had happened.  
  
Legolas' face went pale and he quickly ushered the hobbits back down the main passage, pretty soon all three of them were running as fast as the could towards the entrance.  
  
"Is this the way that Saruman is going to make the fellowship crack?" Panted Frodo, as they got further and further down the passage.  
  
Legolas' face remained grim as he ran swiftly by the hobbits, slowing down slightly to keep to the same speed as them. "I'm afraid so." 


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